LR Baggs Element Onboard System - Manual (Page 2)

1. Choose a location on the side of the instrument to mount the preamp. The
flattest possible area just above the waist on the upper bout and below the
shoulder is recommended. Double-check to make sure the preamp will clear
all internal braces and other obstacles when installed.
2. Lay the enclosed paper template on the chosen location and secure it with
masking tape on all four edges. With a sharp scribe put a dimple in the center
of each of the screw holes and then drill out the holes using a #45 drill bit
(.082” or 2.08 mm). Cut out the area for the preamp carefully and slowly using
a rotary cutter with a sharp 1/8” cutting bit. We recommend cutting just inside
the lines for the initial cut and then cleaning up the edges with a file. Remove
the template and clean up any excess tape residue with a soft cloth and
naphtha.
4.2 Drilling the strapjack hole: For proper installation, this jack requires a
clean 1/2" hole in the tail block of the instrument. Start by placing a piece of
masking tape on the outside of the instrument over the drilling area (to avoid
chipping the finish), drill a small pilot hole in the tail block and then follow
with a step drill. Now proceed to the strapjack installation as detailed in the
following section.
5 . S T R A P J A C K I N S T A L L A T I O N
Remove the strap ring, retaining nut and one washer from the end of the jack.
There should still be one star locking washer, one flat washer and a nut
remaining on the jack. Bring the jack down through the soundhole into the
body and insert it into the pre-drilled hole in the tail block. Using the internal
nut (be sure to include the flat and star washers), set the proper depth that
will allow the entire smaller threaded section to protrude from the instrument
(see figure 1). With the jack in place, lay the remaining washer over the threads
and attach the external retaining nut until it’s tight. Finish by attaching the
strap ring (it should cover the retaining nut and washer) so as not to crack the
finish of the instrument by asserting too much pressure. Now proceed to the
preamp installation in the following section.
6 . P R E A M P I N S T A L L A T I O N
This preamp is designed for sides that are .090” to .165” thick and reasonably flat or convex. The skirt of the bezel may bottom out on guitars that
have especially thin or concave sides. This will prevent the bezel from seating completely on the guitar’s side. If this happens, place the provided
fiber washers over the protruding ends of the screws (inside of the guitar body) to space the preamp down into the guitar.
The bezel is made of a special material that may be cold-formed by hand and can be easily made to conform to the curvature of the guitar side.
Simply bend the bezel by hand until it fits to the guitar side without any gaps. It may help to over-bend the bezel slightly in spots until it lies
flush on the guitar side's surface.
1. Once the bezel has been formed, drop it into the existing cutout and screw the 4 provided screws into the holes until they protrude into the
guitar about 1/16”. Do not enlarge the holes in the guitar! If you enlarge the holes, the screws will not be able to hold the bezel in place to
position the preamp.
2. Insert a battery into the battery compartment (observe polarity!) and push the compartment into the hole until it click-locks into place. Insert
the preamp into the guitar through the sound hole and place it into the opening in the bezel from inside of the guitar. Wiggle it until the screw
ends find the corresponding slots in the chassis. Center the preamp laterally (along the length of the side) in the bezel and start the screws into
the plastic. Hold the preamp firmly against the side so that it does not “walk” as you tighten the screws. Before you tighten the screws completely,
be sure that the battery compartment does not bind against the bezel when you open and close the compartment.
Do not overtighten the screws. This will cause the bezel ends to lift from the side. Excess overtightening may even cause the screws to cut
through the bezel. It is helpful to watch the edge of the bezel as you tighten; stop when it seats nicely against the wood.
3. Plug the strapjack wire into the preamp's right-hand socket, and secure the wire inside the guitar with the self-stick wire clip provided. Then
proceed to the Element installation instructions in the following section.
7 . E L E M E N T I N S T A L L A T I O N
7.1 Installation notes: For optimum performance of the Element, the bridge slot must have a clean, flat surface free of any debris or over-spray
from the finish. The slot must be a minimum of .125” (1/8”) deep, but we suggest a depth of at least .187" (3/16”) to avoid excessive saddle tilt.
The commonly-known 50/50 rule applies: The amount of saddle visible above the bridge surface (with pickup installed) should be no greater than
the amount of saddle in the slot beneath the bridge surface; otherwise the balance and output of the pickup may suffer.
7.2 Short saddle note: The first 1/8" of the Element pickup is not active. If you do not have a minimum of 1/4" of saddle beyond the hi-E string, you
may experience low output on this string. To remedy this, drill a small horizontal hole in the end of the slot to extend the pickup further under
the saddle (see figure 2). To drill this hole without disrupting the floor of the saddle slot, place a small jeweler's screwdriver under the tip of the
drill bit. On short saddles we also advise that the pickup exit hole be drilled into the end wall of the saddle slot rather than the slot's floor (see
figure 4) to likewise extend saddle/pickup contact at the exit end. Again use the jeweler's screwdriver to protect the saddle floor as you drill.
7.3 Installation: Remove the strings from the guitar. To duplicate the string height exactly, scribe a line along the front edge of the saddle where
it extends above the bridge. The line will later be used as a guide when removing material from the bottom of the saddle to compensate for the
thickness of the pickup (.037” total). Remove the saddle to drill the hole for the pickup. The drill bit needs to be as large as the saddle slot will
allow.
tail
block
smaller
threaded
section
protrudes
fig. 1
fig. 2
extension
normal saddle:
drill floor short saddle:
drill side wall
jeweler's screwdriver
drill bit
fig. 3 fig. 4